HISD: Happy holidays from the Harlandale school district

By Rey Madrigal

Updated 5:33 pm, Monday, December 17, 2012

It's holiday time in the Harlandale Independent School District.

Santa's schedule is booked with visits to many of our campuses. Choirs and bands are ushering in the festivities. Groups of students have been helping Santa by collecting and wrapping toys for community projects.

Everyone is preparing for winter break, which will begin Monday and run through Jan. 7. Students will return to class on Jan. 8.

Taking a cue from the Pinterest website, Harlandale ISD's curriculum and instruction department staff recently developed Hinterest, where teachers can share plans, lessons and ideas to positively impact student learning.

Teachers recently met and freely shared excellent how-to tips for instructing math, science and language arts. Visual aids and lesson plans were provided. Those attending were grateful for the exchange of information, which further supports the district's professional learning communities.

This month, several Harlandale ISD educators with bright ideas were rewarded for their innovation. Winners of the inaugural Bright Idea Mini-Grants program were surprised with visits by the district's “Prize Patrol” and presented with an oversized check.

The mini-grants were created this school year to assist district employees with funds for new projects that positively impact student learning. A total of 19 applications were submitted. Seven grants were awarded for a total amount of $5,387.93. We welcome corporate sponsors to join us in hopes that we can continue offering this worthwhile awards.

On Dec. 8, all seven school board members, along with me, held a team building training session at the Mission Branch Library.

Dr. Sylvester Perez, interim superintendent at San Antonio Independent School District, served as the facilitator. Together the group talked through various scenarios and strengthened their ability to make decisions as a team.

Have a happy New Year!

Rey Madrigal is the interim superintendent of the Harlandale Independent School District.